Overheated
by D. M. Evans
Summary: He's pretty sure she's flirting with him.


Title- Overheated

Disclaimer- Arakawa owns all

Characters/Pairing- Roy pov, beginnings of Roy/Riza

Timeline/Spoilers- set during Roy's apprenticeship so spoilers for that

Warning- male body parts with minds of their own

Summary- He's pretty sure she's flirting with him.

Author's Note-It was almost too hot out to write.

XXX

The first thought that had entered young Roy's mind upon seeing his new Master's library was this was the room of his dreams. He could barely contain his excitement, but it didn't take long at Hawkeye's for Roy to learn the trick of hiding his natural enthusiasm. Master Hawkeye called him spoiled and so did his snotty daughter and that he would need to tone his attitude down.

In retrospect, they were right. His Aunt Chris and her girls had let him get away with anything and everything. He'd been pampered, loved and overly indulged. If love ever existed in the Hawkeye household, it had long gone quiet. Roy didn't doubt that his master loved Riza, but there just weren't outwardly signs of it.

Roy's love affair with Hawkeye's library quickly became more of a love-hate relationship as he was assigned endless amounts of research; never the research he really wanted, but even so, Roy knew his training was thorough.

He currently lounged on a leather chair with the indolence of someone who made this room his home for years. His shirt was unbuttoned more than usual in the heat. The fan on the table wasn't helping much. The windows had been thrown open, but after an obnoxious crow had gotten inside last week, Roy had learned to transmute the wooden sills into fine spindles to keep the wildlife out.

The book he now read wasn't from Hawkeye's collection. His aunt mailed it with a note saying it had come from his mother's family. It was probably a way to keep him practicing his Xingese. Roy didn't mind because it made him feel oddly gooey inside to have a connection to his mother.

Of course, at the moment, reading was impossible even if he ignored the brain-melting heat. He knew if he spoke up, talked to the girl across the room, she'd understand about losing a parent too young, but Riza had a different idea about what today might hold.

Her mother had been a graduate of Gallia Academy and that boarding school took her daughter at a reduced cost. Roy suspected his Master preferred his teenaged daughter out of his equally teenaged apprentice's sight. Riza came home on weekends and Roy swore that between last week and this she'd gone from a formless girl to a beauty his mother would love in her employ.

Roy knew what Riza was doing in her short skirt and feminine blouse. No one dressed like this just to dust, not even in this heat, unless they were making a flirty game of it. Roy had far too many sisters far too good at manipulative seduction for him to fall for it. Well, that's what the head with brain in it said. The brainless head had other ideas, especially after Riza bent low to dust some bric-a-brac. Damn, her legs were becoming fine. He loved a shapely leg. He settled the book over his errant lap because Riza _would _notice. She might even have something to say about it.

He wasn't sure what he'd do if she wanted to _do_ something about it. He didn't think he could betray his master's trust, but Roy couldn't deny feeling very intrigued by Riza. She was the only woman to ever get the better of him on a regular basis other than Aunt Chris. Riza not only told him 'no' but never indulged him and his worst behavior. There was a tickle in the back of his head that said he wanted more than just sex with her, but that niggling thought had to be a produce of the intense humid heat. It wasn't that he might have some kind of feelings for her; he was brain-damaged by summer.

Still, it wasn't exactly fair for her to keep glancing back at him over her shoulder, trying out her newfound femininity. She straightened up, the feather dusting caressing her bare knee. She wasn't quite smiling at him, but he could see the amusement in her tea-brown eyes.

"Are you watching me, Mr. Mustang?"

He tapped the edge of his book, hearing hope in her voice. "I'm reading. Housework, not that interesting." Roy saw her eyes narrow. She was going to have to work harder to catch him. He wasn't _that_ easy.

Riza tossed her head. Too bad the short hair ruined the effect. She stalked over to him. "What are you reading?" Before he could stop her, Riza took hold of the book, angling it up, accidentally slamming the bottom edge right into his erection. Roy tried to smother a cry. "Fascinating I'm sure," she said wryly, letting go.

He just bobbed his head, not trusting his voice, tears forming in his eyes.

Riza headed out of the room. She paused in the doorway, shooting him a superior look. "Not that interesting, indeed."

He might be starting to love her, but some days, he just hated that girl.


End file.
